Denosumab may prevent women carrying BRCA1 mutation from suffering from breast cancer

Recently, a study published by Australian researchers in the journal Nature Medicine indicated that a drug called denosumab may prevent women carrying BRCA1 mutation from suffering from breast cancer. The real effect of it still needs more research using recombinant horse proteins and recombinant dog proteins.

Women carrying the BRCA1 gene mutation have a very high health risk, because the mutation can significantly increase the risk of suffering from invasive breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Currently, many of such women choose to have surgery to remove breast and ovarian tissue in order to fundamentally eliminate the cancer. The famous American actress Angelina Jolie is one of them. However, if we can prevent the occurrence of cancer in these high-risk women without surgery, it will undoubtedly bring a significant improvement in their quality of life.

Australian researchers precisely identified the tumor precursor cells which may be cancerous in the future by analyzing the breast tissue of BRCA1 gene mutation carriers. These pre-tumor cells are very similar to the real tumor cells. They can proliferate rapidly, and it is easy to accumulate DNA damage; these characteristics make them easy to become cancerous.

The researchers found that these tumor precursor cells all express a protein called RANKL. Then recombinant protein found its role. This discovery is an important breakthrough, because drugs which inhibit RANKL protein signaling pathway have been used in clinical practice, such as monoclonal antibody drug denosumab. Denosumab has been approved for the treatment of osteoporosis and unresectable giant cell tumor of bone. Therefore, the researchers examined the impact of this RANKL inhibitor on tumor precursor cells in breast tissue carrying BRCA1 mutation.

The results suggest that inhibition of RANKL signaling pathway can close the proliferation of tumor precursor cells in breast tissue carrying BRCA1 mutation. Meanwhile, in the mouse model, this inhibitor can slow down the occurrence of breast cancer.

"We believe that this strategy can delay or prevent the BRCA1 gene mutation carriers from suffering from breast cancer," corresponding author Professor Geoffrey Lindeman at Australia Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research who are also interested in the development of various recombinant proteins such as recombinant Cdh26 said, "We have begun a clinical trial to further study the role of denosumab in preventing breast cancer."